The Future Is So Bright, Marty Is
Wearing Shades

Too country, too pop, even
too urban and rap these days. The growing diversity
of country music has those die-hard traditionalists
lamenting the absence of fiddle and steel on country
radio.

Except for one person—self-professed country music
historian and 20-year member of the Grand Ole Opry,
Marty Stuart.

Backstage at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, Country
Weekly asked Marty what he thought about
country music's changing landscape. "I think it's
great. I think as long as people follow their hearts
instead of what they’re told to be, we’ll get to the
right place," he explained. But Marty also wants the
new crop of traditionalists to know they can still
have an audience. "We see young musicians come to
our shows that have that fire in their hearts for
traditional country music. And they need to know
that it’s OK, it’s alive and well, go play it."

Marty celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Opry
induction Saturday (December 8) on the Ryman stage
with special guests Old Crow Medicine Show, Brandy
Clark, Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw
Indians Phyliss Anderson—along with Choctaw
dancers—and his wife, Connie Smith.